Most van- or minivan-type automotive vehicles have a sliding side door on the passenger side of the vehicle. Typically, this door has upper, belt level and lower arms which connect the sliding side door with the vehicle. The lower arm has one end fixed with the door and a second end with a roller which rides within a track provided on the side of the vehicle. To keep the door in an open position when the door has been fully opened, typically the track in which the lower arm roller rides will have a slight mound or hump so that once the door is opened, it will remain in the opened position. The above-noted detent system works well, with the exception when the van is parked nose-down on declining terrain wherein the gravitational force exerted on the door will often cause it to close, even after it has been pulled back to a fully open position.
It would be advantageous if a door checking system was arranged wherein the door would automatically be detented in the open position, would maintain that detented position even when the vehicle is parked on a steep slope and would allow the use of manual or automatic door opening systems and would also allow the door (in both manual and automatic systems) to close by simply manually pulling the door closed.